Railroad crossino or froo and method of making the same



April 29, I924. R e.'l5,823

c. w. BREED RAILROAD CROSSING OR FROG AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed May 2. 1921 i WW m!!! Reiuued Apr. 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. BREED, OE WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS.

BAILRO AD CROSSING OB FROG AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Original No. 1,418,181, dated April 11, 1922, Serial No. 488,108, flled Kay 2, 1921.

filed February 1, 1924. Serial ll'o. 890,096.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. Baum), a citizen of the United States, and resident of Western Springs, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Railroad Crossings or Frogs and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, refer 1o ence being had to the accompanying drawin, forming a part of this specification.

Iy invention relates toa railroad crossing or frog and method of making the same. The invention contemplates the provision of a crossing or frog that is cast of manganese steel, or steel having substantially similar characteristics, and which, even under the pounding of very heavy traffic will not develo material depressions in t ose portions of t e wheel-carrying surfaces of the casting which lie adjacent to the intersections of the flangeways therein.

Cast manganese steel possesses of characteristics which larly desirable for use in railroad crossings, frogs, and the like, but heretofore the use of these castings in structures of the class mentioned, has been subject to a very serious objection, viz, the pounding incidental to heavy traffic has invariably caused de ressions to occur in the wheelcarrying sur aces of such castings at points adjacent the intersections of the flangeways which are .formed therein. It is In theory that durin the course of the usualheat treatment whic follows the removal of the castin from the molds in which they are forme the grains or molecules composing the steel become separated to a very conslderable extent and that when such a casting is put into service, in a. railroad crossing or the like, the hammering effect of the wheels running across the flangeways ou'nds the steel until the grains or mo ec es composing the same are very closely compacted. At any rate it. has been found that after a manganese steel casting has served any considerable time in a railroad crossing or the like, depressions occur in the wheel carryin surfaces of the casting at points adjacent t e flangeway intersectlons. I have discovered that after the wheel carrying surfaces have been depressed to a definite extent, varying somewhat with the quality of the steel, the depth of the dea number render it particu-,

the casting is pressions does not increase, and in subseuent use of the crossing, those portions of t e wheel carrying surfaces adjacent the flangeway intersectionswithstand the shock and wearing action of the wheels as well as do those portions of the wheel carr ing surfaces which are ,more remote fiom the flangeway intersections. I believe that this henomenon may be attributed to the fact that after the metal has been depressed to a certain extent by the pounding of the wheels, the grains or molecules composing the steel become compacted to the maximum extent. There is a limit to which the said grains or molecules may be compacted. After that limit is obtained, further pounding of the wheels has practically no effect in so far as the deepening of the depressions in the wheel carrying surfaces of the casting is concerned.

Depressions formed in the wheel carrying surfaces of a crossing or frog. casting, as explained above, are very injurious to rolling stock, and. to a very large extent, are responsible for the shocks sustained by passengers when a coach passes over the ordinary form of railroad crossing or frog.

So far as I am aware, no one prior to me has devised a method of constructing a crossing or frog casting which will not develop depressions under the pounding action of wheels passing over the flangeways in the casting.

In order to attain the objects of my invention, I provide those'wheel carrying portions of the casting which lie ad acent the flan eways with pads or high surfaces, the eight of same varying with the limit to which the particular grade of steel, of which formed, may be compacted. These ads or high surfaces are then pounde or have pressure otherwise applied Application for reissue thereto until the metalconstituting the pads has been com acted to the limit hereinbefore mentioned. e compacting is preferably carried out while the casting is at normal temperatures; that is, without heating exthe shocks to rolling stock at of a railroad crossing,

tion is to hammer or otherwise constructed in this fashion does not become depressed at those portions of its wheel carrying surfaces which lie adjacent the intersections of the casting flangeways. The useful life of the casting is thus prolonged and the crossing or frog are minimized.

My invention perhaps will be best understood when a detailed description thereof is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view the castin shown in this figure being shaded to indicate those portions of the wheel carrying surfaces thereof which are subjected to the greatest shocks in service.

Figure 2 is a section which maybe re garded as having been taken on either of the lines 22 of i by dotted lines, the pads or high surfaces which-are formed on the wheel carrying surfaces of the casting, and

igure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1. i

In the drawing, reference letter A indicates a portion of a crossing casting of manganese steel. The wheel carrying surfaces of the casting are indicated at B-B and the intersecting flangeways are indicated at CC. Except for the pads presently to be described, and the manner in which the same are treated, the particular casting here shown need not differ essentially in its construction from crossing castings now in general use; hence any one skilled in the art to which my invention relates will understand how the crossing casting here shown is attached to and co-operates with the rails of the tracks with which it is associated.

Those portions of the wheel carrying surfaces which must withstand the greatest shocks ineservice are indicated by the shading designated DD in Figure 1. The casting of my invention is provided with raised surfaces or pads which lie with in the shaded areas D-D. These pads are integral with the casting and the upper surfaces thereof are preferably inclined in the directions of travel. The pads are highest at the margins of the flangeways and taper down to the level of the other wheel carrying surfaces of the casting. The initial height of the pads is clearly indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. p

The final step in the method of my invenapply pressure to the upper surfaces of the pads, preferably while the casting is at normal temperature, until the said upper surfaces lie in the same plane with the other wheel car rying surfaces of the casting. The maximum height of the pads is initially such that when the pads have been forced down flush with the other wheel carrying surfaces of Figure 1, this view illustrating,

the casting, the metal of those portions of the wheel carrying surfaces which lie next adjacent the fiangeway intersections will have been compacted to the greatest possible extent. This being accomplished, it will be understood that depressions in the wheel carrying surfaces of the casting, due to wheels pounding uponthe portions thereof next adjacent the fiangeways, will not be produced.

Vhile, for the purposes of illustration, I have elected to describe my invention as it is applied to the manufacture of a railroad crossing casting, it will be understood that my invention is not so limited but is equally applicable to the construction of other Slmlar devices such as frogs and the like.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The method of making a railroad crossing or the like which consists in forming a casting provided with intersecting flangeways and with raised pads at those portions of its wheel carrying surfaces which lie adjacent the flangeway intersections and applying pressure to the upper surfaces of said pads while at normal temperatures and thereby causing the same to be forced down with the other portions of the wheel carrying surfaces of the casting.

2. The method of making a railroad crossing or -the like which consists informing a casting provided with intersecting flangeways and with raised pads at those portions of its wheel carrying surfaces which lie adjacent the flangeway intersections, and then compacting those wheel carrying portions of the casting which lie adjacent the flangewa intersections by a plyin pressure to t e upper surfaces of t e pa s while at normal tem eratures to force said pad surfaces into thb same horizontal plane as the other wheel carrying surfaces of the casting.

3. The method of making a railroad crossing or the like which consists in formi a casting provided with intersectin flangewa s, wheel carrying surfaces, an raised pa s on those ortions of the wheel ca mg surfaces w ich are most violently enga ed by car wheels crossing the flangeways an applying pressure to the upper surfaces of the pads while at normal temperatures to force said pad surfaces into the same lane with the other wheel engaging suraces of the castin 4. The method 0% making a railroad crossing or the like which consists in forming a casting provided with intersecting fiangewa s, wheel carrying surfaces, and raised pa s on those portions of the wheel carrying surfaces whic lie adjacent to the flangeways, said padstapering from the flangeways and applymg pressure to the upper surfaces of the pads to force said u per surfaces into the same plane with t e other casting.

surface,

wheel carrying surfaces.

5. A railroad crossing or rising a castin angeways an those ortions of said casting adjacent to said angewa intersections increasing in density toward the points of greatest wear.

6. A railroad crossing or the like comrising a casting provided with intersectmg flan ewaysand wheel carrying surfaces, all portions of which lie in the same horizontal plane, those portions of said casting adjacent to said flangeway intersections comprising compacted metal ofgreater density than the the remaing portions of said the like comprovided with intersecting the like coma casting having a wheel carrying all portions of which lie in the same plane, a 'flangeway crossing said surface; a portion of said casting adjacent said flangeway com risin compacted metal of greater ,density t an tie uncompacted portions of said castin r f 8. A rai road crossing or the like comprising a casting of manganese steel having a wheel carrying surface, all portions of which lie in the same plane, a flan eway crossing said surface, a portion 0 said .7. A railroad crossing or prising casting adjacent said flangeway comprising compacted metal of greater density than the uncompacted portions of said casting.

9. A railroad crossing or the like comprising a casting of manganese steel provided with intersecting flangeways, and wheel carrying surfaces, those portions of wheel carrying surfaces,

members having raised portions adjacent to the intersection andtapering therefrom for providing metal to be compacted prior to installation toward the level of the remainder of the tread surfaces.

12. In a railroad crosslng, the combination with the angularly disposed track mem bers having wheel tread surfaces, of a .crossing structure providing intersecting flange receiving recesses and tread surfaces ad acent to the intersection, the tread surfaces of said crossing structure adjacent to the intersectionibeing raised above the tread surfaces of said track members for providing metal to be compacted toward the level of the tread surfaces of the track members.

In witness whereof, -I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15 day of January,

' p CHARLES W. BREED. I In presence of:

l nAmr'Lnms, h

A. L. Bnarmns'rrm. 

